// ARS TECHNICA — MOBILE & WEB
TP-Link problems in US grow amid FCC router ban and four state lawsuits
TP-Link can’t sell latest routers in US, still needs exemption from FCC ban.
TP-Link is facing more legal troubles in the US as Florida and three other states filed lawsuits alleging that it lied to consumers about its connections to China and the risks of its routers being exploited by Chinese state hackers.
The lawsuits were filed yesterday, about six months after the Federal Communications Commission announced a sweeping ban on consumer-grade routers produced wholly or partly outside of the US. Numerous router makers have obtained exemptions to the ban, but the Trump administration so far has not granted one to TP-Link.
Router makers that received exemptions include Netgear, Asus, Adtran, Amazon and its Eero subsidiary, Calix, Nokia, SpaceX’s Starlink division, and others. For now, TP-Link is unable to sell its latest Wi-Fi 8 routers in the US, though models approved before the ban can still be sold.
The state lawsuits claim that TP-Link misled US consumers by telling them its routers are safe. The suits allege that TP-Link committed unfair and deceptive trade acts in violation of the states’ consumer protection laws.
“Chinese state-sponsored hackers exploited TP-Link routers sitting in American living rooms,” Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier said while announcing his lawsuit filed in a Florida county court. Uthmeier said Florida “will not allow families to be misled into handing their personal data to the Chinese Communist Party. We are seeking an injunction, restitution for Florida consumers, and [financial] penalties under Florida law.”
TP-Link was founded in China but moved its headquarters to California in October 2024 amid investigations into high-profile attacks linked to the Chinese government, including a botnet composed mostly of TP-Link routers. The Florida lawsuit accuses TP-Link of “lying about the safety of its routers and its ties to the CCP,” Uthmeier said.
Uthmeier was one of four Republican state attorneys general to sue TP-Link yesterday. Lawsuits were also filed against TP-Link by Montana, Iowa, and Nebraska.
“The coordinated lawsuits are built on false premises,” said Steve Kovsky, TP-Link’s corporate affairs officer. “They do nothing to advance national security while unfairly penalizing an industry-leading US company.” TP-Link said that for the past few months it has “provided state regulators with clear, verifiable documentation demonstrating two fundamental facts: TP-Link Systems devices sold in the US are manufactured in Vietnam and TP-Link Systems is an independent, US company that is not owned or controlled by any foreign government.”
The four state lawsuits use virtually identical language, starting with this statement explaining the function of routers in simplified fashion: